Military veteran

Comfort animals onboard commercial airline flights have become something of a joke in recent years, as flyers have taken advantage of notoriously loose restrictions to bring all manner of pets with them in the passenger cabin. The idea of comfort animals seems to have gained currency among military veterans returning home from war zones with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An emotional support animal was often prescribed to help ameliorate the symptoms. As PTSD became recognized as an increasingly more common condition, affecting people in many walks of life, comfort animals too proliferated. And not just dogs and cats. Today there are websites like US Support Animals that advertise “Fly with your animal in the cabin of an airplane at not cost” and provide an easy roadmap for certifying virtually any creature as an emotional support animal. Prices range from $99 to $299 for the service. It was only a matter of time before some airline or regulatory body stepped up … [Read more...] about Delta Warns: ‘No More Comfort Hedgehogs on Our Flights!’

"Maybe you should pack a bag?"The advice from my friend Mary was practical but also terrifying. An hour ago, she had answered my frantic phone call for help and rushed to my house so she could drive me to an emergency psychiatric facility near my home in Flagstaff, Arizona. Now she was implying that I might not be coming back for a while. It was July 2010 and for the previous 10 days I hadn’t slept at all, not even for five minutes. Night after night I laid in bed with my heart racing and body trembling, filled with enough adrenaline to rob a bank, desperate for rest and some kind of explanation about what was happening to me. As Mary waited, I tossed my toothbrush in the bag and looked at my tear-streaked face in the bathroom mirror. Maybe I wouldn’t come home, I thought. Maybe I wouldn’t survive whatever it was that was eating me alive.Until this crisis, I had always thought of myself as a rock. Nothing rattled me. Over the three previous years I had been … [Read more...] about Wilderness: The New Treatment for PTSD

In 2016, the Spirit of Falmouth embarked upon a two-month, 2,220-mile trip around the British coast. This replica of a 92-foot 18th century pilot schooner would visit Newcastle and the Orkney Islands, Liverpool and the Scillies, beginning and ending its journey at Falmouth. The crew was unusual. Brought together by the military charity Turn to Starboard, everyone on board had served in the armed forces and their return to civvy street had been challenging. As Steven Price Brown, a veteran of conflict in Afghanistan, puts it ‘we had changed from being sharp-seamed, uniform-clad warriors to hoody-wearing civilians and it had not been an easy transformation.’The men had carried home horrible images, physical and mental scars, and the book provides frank, first-person narratives of the crew’s experiences both during and after their tours of duty. It sometimes makes for a difficult read: Bosnian memories of ‘heavily pregnant women who had been strapped to lampposts … [Read more...] about RIDDLE OF THE WAVES: The inspiring story of military veterans circumnavigating the UK

A love for one’s country must also include a love for its lands. There is patriotism in defending our public lands, which define who we are as Americans. They are the embodiment of our democracy and the tangible America that the military and veteran community swore to protect. As veterans, our connection to America’s public lands and heritage is a deeply rooted one. From the Buffalo Soldiers to Teddy Roosevelt and David Brower, veterans have long played key roles in ensuring the conservation of our natural and historical treasures for future generations. Veterans have an overwhelming appreciation for the land and natural history they defend as members of the military, and those lands also provide crucial resources for veterans transitioning into civilian life.Each year, more than 200,000 service-members exit the military, oftentimes without the proper support to succeed in civilian life. Programs like Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors and Outward Bound for Veterans help … [Read more...] about Opinion: Attacking National Monuments Disrespects Veterans Like Me

Got plans for this Veteran’s Day (November 11)? You could be trekking around a national park…for free. On Tuesday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced plans to waive entrance fees to all national parks on Veteran’s Day in honor of the country’s servicemen and servicewomen. In Tuesday’s news release, Salazar said this: “The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” said Salazar said “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harms way. ” In years past, free admittance to national parks on Veteran’s Day has been reserved for the families of veterans and active military personnel. This is the fourth day … [Read more...] about National Parks Free on Veteran’s Day

Yesterday, retired Army National Guard First Lieutenant Ed Salau slipped the scarred stump of his left leg into a $30,000 hydraulic-fitted carbon-fiber and titanium prosthetic and headed for the top of Mt. Rainier.He didn't make it. But the end of the climb is not the end of the story. The story is how Salau–a trim man who still carries himself with the bearing of his 12 years as a Marine–stomped his way up to Camp Muir, well short of the summit but well above the clouds. How he went barefoot in the snow. Why–even knowing he would go no higher–he spent an afternoon flinging himself face-first into the slush, rehearsing self-arrest and getting kicked in the noggin for his efforts. And then there are all those terrific campfire tales only a one-legged man can tell–the one about the kid in Dunkin' Donuts, the one about the woman in the bar, and the one where he tells his teenage boy, "Son, I will plant my foot in your ass and leave it there!" The one about … [Read more...] about Shock And Awe

The hardships of war can cause a lifetime of mental stress for returning military veterans. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can make it seem impossible to ever return to a normal life. Fortunately, Sean Gobin is here to help. Gobin returned from active combat duty in 2012, but instead of letting the stress defeat him, he hiked. And not just any hike, either: Gobin trekked all 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail. During his travels, he recognized the therapeutic effects of long distance hiking, which inspired him to create a program aimed to help his fellow veterans. Founded in 2013, Gobin's "Walk off the War" program put 14 veterans on the Appalachian Trail, providing support and supplies along the way. In 2014, the program expanded to include the Triple Crown of thru-hiking (Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail). That year, 25 veterans participated. This year, Gobin expects to grow even further Running the program has been a … [Read more...] about Walking Off The War

Look at the label on the shirt you’re wearing. Or the boots on your feet. Or the tent, pack, and bag in your closet. Odds are, they were made overseas. No surprise, right? Manufacturing started chasing cheap labor decades ago. But the odds are changing. A recent resurgence in American-made gear has reversed the migration of factory work. From high-performance wool to ultradurable backpacks, more and more outdoor products are made in the U.S. Here’s why you can expect the trend to continue—plus a few choice picks to look for if you want a trail kit as local as your tomatoes. You’d need about 70,000 frenzied Seahawks fans to equal the energy of one thundering stomp of the mattress press at Cascade Designs, located amid a sprawl of flat-roofed warehouses south of Seattle’s CenturyLink Stadium. You feel the three-story-high press in your gut, not your ears. Nearby, steam irons bigger than city buses gasp and sigh as they meld swaths of fabric into … [Read more...] about Homegrown Gear: Made in America Makes a Comeback

When morning broke on July 21, 1996, Randy Morgenson was midway through his 28th season as a backcountry ranger at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. He was the most senior ranger in the High Sierra–the wise man of the woods, the ObiWan Kenobi of the high country. To most he seemed immune to the Hazards of remote wilderness travel. After loading his pack, the robust 64-year-old veteran went on a routine patrol from his station near bench lake. He was never seen again. Randy fastened the note to the canvas flap that served as his station's door, tightened the laces on his size 9 Merrell hiking boots, and pinned a National Park Service Ranger badge and name tag to his uniform-gray button-down shirt. With an old ski pole for a hiking stick, he walked away from the station. That afternoon, thunder rumbled across the mountains and raindrops pelted the gravelly soil surrounding the outpost, washing away Randy's footprints and any clue as to the direction he had traveled. For … [Read more...] about How a Backcountry Ranger With 28 Years Experience Vanished

I had walked 25 miles in a single day once before, years earlier, and I was with John Rivera on that day, too, back between our first and second deployments to Iraq. We started in the morning,with rain clouds gathering.We carried M4 assault rifles and wore camouflage fatigues and black leather boots, helmets, and Kevlar vests with thick plates on the front and back that can stop high-power rifle rounds.Together, with more than 100 other soldiers, we snaked down the roads of the vast wooded training area in upstate New York’s Fort Drum, home of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. Several times throughout the day, other soldiers playing the enemy shot at us from the woodline with blank rounds, simulating an ambush. With our 40 pounds of gear, we’d dive for cover, return fire, and maneuver on the enemy, then continue our walk down the road. The rain started in the afternoon, and by nightfall we were soaked through and shivering and still a couple of miles from home. I … [Read more...] about ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT